Perfect Barrier
by Iron Lotus
Summary: Kagome feels the pull of a Shikon shard… but it’s behind a barrier that Inuyasha cannot break! It seems that holy people, regardless of their purity, may pass. Miroku and Kagome take off on their own, embarking on their own journey for the shard! [MK]


**Disclaimer: See Author Profile.**

**Rating: PG-13**

**Summary: Kagome feels the pull of a Shikon shard… but it's lying behind a barrier that Inuyasha cannot break! It seems that holy people, regardless of their purity, may pass through. Miroku and Kagome take off on their own through it, embarking on their own journey to collect the Shikon Shard! [M/K] **

Iron Lotus presents:

Perfect Barrier

Chapter One:

Another Blasted Shard

Kagome looked worriedly over at Inuyasha. He stood there, panting and sweating, the Tetsusaiga gripped tightly in his hands. It glowed a bright red, the winds of a charging Kaze no Kizu swirling about it. He had been working at it for hours, but he had been unable to break the blasted barrier, regardless of the amount of energy he assaulted it with. It seemed that the barrier stayed strong and undamaged through each and every one of his attacks.

Miroku, Sango, Shippo and she had long since stopped attempting to dissuade him from his current task, and were now seated about a sleeping Kirara, waiting for any sign of progress from the irritated hanyou. There was no way about it, though. From where Kagome stood, there were two options: either break the barrier and get the shard, or leave it and allow Naraku to claim it. The latter was unacceptable, and so they lingered there, hoping that Inuyasha would be able to break through.

"_Mou_, Inuyasha!" Kagome cried, losing to her feeling of somewhat unfounded concern. He didn't pay her any attention, so she ran up to his side. "Just take a break already!" Her hand reached over to rest lightly on his arm, but Inuyasha would have none of it.

"Get away, woman, I'm trying to _work_ here!" He ground out, flinging his arm out to knock her away.

Kagome had let go of his arm sooner than he had thought she would, and she went flying forwards instead of to the side. There was a moment of horrified tension, filled with a sort of shocked silence as her body went sailing through the air in the direction of the barrier. Nobody could react before it was too late. Her body came in contact with the barrier.

She fell to the ground, and she tumbled a little, before sitting back up, rubbing her bottom agitatedly. She looked up to see everyone's shocked faces. Where they had expected her to bounce off of the shield and fly back toward them, she had gone straight through. When she realized what had happened, her eyes widened and she stood up. "How…?"

She walked forwards, toward Inuyasha, and passed through the barrier again. Once more, she turned and attempted to walk through it. Again, it let her pass freely and easily. Everyone looked at her as though she had grown another head. 

"What did you _do_?" Inuyasha asked, feeling slightly subdued. After hours of trying and failing, all she had to do was walk through, and it accepted her? But then, he thought, looking down at Tetsusaiga, Kagome had a knack for getting through barriers….

"Nothing!" she cried, flailing her arms in front of her face. "I didn't do anything!"

Miroku, trying to avoid a senseless argument, stepped forward. "Perhaps she was accepted through because of her Miko abilities?"

"Houshi-sama…" Sango murmured, approaching the barrier as well and reaching out to touch it. Her hand was shocked, however, by the power of the barrier and then pushed back. "That could very well be," she said, staring down at her numbed hand.

"So if I'm the only one that can go through, are we still going after the shard?" Kagome asked, her gaze fixed on Inuyasha. They were all wondering what his answer would be. Would she handle herself on her own? Would he let her go on her own, regardless…?

"Every shard we don't get is one more for Naraku," Inuyasha said gravely, looking up at Kagome. "Kagome…"

"We haven't… explored all of our options, have we?" Miroku asked, interrupting. Buying Kagome time. "Let's be sure that we've exhausted them all before we go pushing Kagome-sama into danger like this."

"What are you suggesting, bouzu?" Inuyasha said, quirking up an eyebrow.

"Well… are we sure that Kagome-sama is the only one who can go through the barrier? We know you and Sango can't… but none of the rest of us has tried." Leave it to Miroku, ever the voice of reason…

They all watched as Miroku, Shippo, and Kirara stepped up to the barrier. None of them really wanted to touch it, so Kirara decided to be the mature one and attempted going first. She touched her nose to the barrier, only to get a slight, reprimanding little shock as a response. Miroku extended his hand forward and encountered empty air. Satisfied, though a little unnerved, he stepped through to the other side, and Kagome joined him. Everyone else looked back at Shippo as he took his turn. He took a determined little step and bounced right off of the invisible surface of the barrier.

"That settles it, then," Inuyasha said, not looking entirely pleased. "Kagome and the bouzu are going." 

Everyone's heads swiveled in his direction. "What!" he cried, defensively. "I don't like it, but… every shard we don't get…" 

_Every shard we don't get is one more for Naraku. That had been his uneasy motto since the day that Kikyo had stolen their shards. He did not like to admit that she had been the thief of the valuable pieces of the broken jewel, but he did not let their theft go lightly. Every shard that they didn't get would wind up in Naraku's hands in one way or another. They would claim every one of them as their own, regardless of who had it in his or her possession. One by one, they would reclaim their stolen shards. They had no time to waste._

The two groups split the next morning. Kagome had split the items in her pack with Inuyasha, and he and Sango, Shippo and Kirara had left early in the morning. They had promised to rendezvous with Kagome and Miroku in a week's time in Kaede's village. And so, an hour or so after Inuyasha and the others had left, Miroku and Kagome took off through the barrier.

She noticed it immediately- the disquieting serenity of the forest made it seem something artificial, like out of a fairy-tale wherein each tree was spaced out equally from the other and the grass sparkled perpetually from dew that never seemed to go away. There was bird-song in the air, but there were no birds. For a moment, everything seemed surreal, but the observation faded quickly into the back of her mind a few minutes into their trek to seize the shard. It was replaced by the keen observation that there was an even more unnerving silence in the air between her and the Monk.

In the basket at the front of her bike lay her bright yellow backpack, reduced somewhat in size due to half of its contents being missing. Kagome contemplated that yellow backpack for the first few hours of their trip, until Miroku broke the awkward silence, suggesting that they pause for a brief rest.

Kagome laughed a little nervously and nodded, sitting down with him by the side of the pond that they were skirting. It shimmered under the sunlight, giving them enough light to be comfortable where they sat in the shade of the trees. Kagome had looked over at that water longingly and wished briefly that Sango was with them so they could both take a bath.

"I feel bad for Sango… here we are, taking it easy, and she has to try and keep up with Inuyasha all on her own, now," Kagome said, silently wishing Sango the best of luck in dealing with the temperamental half-demon.

Miroku laughed and the awkwardness that had been their companion a few hours prior dissipated. It was hard to adjust to going from such a large and loud group to the silence and calmness of there just being the two of them. Now that the ice was broken, though, they felt free and comfortable to speak.

It was in these first few hours of the two of them on their own that Kagome realized that she didn't know Miroku as well as she should have for having traveled with him for so long. As Miroku was speaking about his theories on the workings of the barrier, Kagome zoned out. How long had they been traveling together? Almost a year, she figured – her sixteenth birthday was only a few weeks away now. She regularly entrusted him with her life, but how well did she know him?

She knew his personality, a little about his past – what little he had revealed when explaining the origins of the Kazaana – and what his goals were as of now, but…

"Miroku-sama," she said, interrupting him just as he was beginning to notice that she hadn't been paying any attention at all. "How old are you?"

He stumbled a little in his steps at this question, because it had been the _last thing he had expected for her to ask. "Eh… I have lived for eighteen years," he replied after a moment. "… Yourself?"_

"Sixteen, almost," she replied, seemingly delighted with his answer. "And where was it that you were born?"

He turned to look at her, wondering if she was joking or what. When he saw that she was being attentive, despite her constant looking around to admire the scenery, he figured out what it was that had been running through her head. "Ah… the middle of nowhere, really," he began, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "My mother was something a little psychotic. She wanted to give birth in the forest without assistance so that I would be _one with nature and a _whole being_." He looked spitefully down at his hand, gripping the beads of the rosary wrapped so carefully over his cursed palm. "She died while giving birth."_

Kagome sent him a sympathetic look. "I never knew my father," she murmured, her tone quiet and a little regretful. "At least, I don't remember him. He died in a car accident on the way to the hospital when my baby brother was being born. Our relatives on his side don't even acknowledge Souta… they blame him for father's death. It's really painful for the entire family. They call my mother and ask how her daughter is doing, but if she mentions Souta, they pretend like they've never heard of him."

Silence reigned between them for a moment. She looked over at him and a soft smile invaded her face. He saw it, and returned it with a shy one of his own. "I agree with you, Kagome-sama… we're all so focused on destroying Naraku that none of us have taken the time to truly, _truly _know each other…"

"What do you want to do after… after all of this is over?"

"If I'm still living?" She shot him a look and he laughed. "I want to live a few years in peace. Go into the mountains and search for myself. For Enlightenment."

She was surprised at this answer. Somehow, she had forgotten that he was not just a monk in name only, and had expected a more worldly answer. One look at the wistful, longing look in his eyes, and she regretted having done so. He was being sincere. "And afterward?"

He gave her a long look before sighing and turning away. "I'm not sure. Look for a wife, have my children… what man wouldn't want that?" He paused and stared at the ground that passed under his feet as he walked. "What about you, Kagome-sama?"

Kagome was obviously startled at this question. "Well, I… I guess I would go back to my time. I couldn't stay here… it's not where I belong, you know?" He nodded soberly. "I'd go back… finish school…" she blushed slightly. "Don't tell anyone this, but I'm thinking about becoming a Miko. As in, a full-fledged one. So that I won't be just '_that reincarnation with the miko powers' anymore… but a real Miko, in my own right."_

Miroku's eyes darted to her face. She was blushing and looking away. It was obviously something that she wanted to do and had had a great deal of difficulty admitting, considering that it meant she wanted to do exactly what Kikyo had done with her life. He respected her for admitting that it was what she wanted to do, and not being childish about it and avoiding it because Kikyo had done it first. It took a great deal of maturity to be so honest with – and to – one's self.

He clasped his hands in front of him piously and inclined his head. "A devout life is a difficult one," he began, but was unable to continue. Kagome's roars of laughter left him silently indignant, but a refreshed smile graced his serene face.

"Miroku!" Kagome shrieked, hugging her towel to her frame. "I'll pummel you when we get back to camp, I swear to God!" She had heard the bushes rustling and knew that he was behind them; peeping, most likely. To her surprise, he stepped out of said bushes, entirely in the buff, and headed toward the water. Shrieking, Kagome spun a good 180 degrees, and ducked under the water. A minute or so passed in which her eyes remained tightly shut, her arms wrapped around her, holding up her towel. She only opened them when she heard Miroku call, "You don't need to worry, Kagome-sama. There's … a barrier of sorts between us." 

Opening her eyes, she realized that he had swum in the other direction and was on the other side of  a large boulder jutting out from the water's surface, not too far away. Satisfied and still alerted to her surroundings, she resumed bathing. She almost shrieked when she heard him speak again, but restrained herself. 

"Really, Kagome-sama, I'm a little insulted. I'm not _so bad, am I?" He laughed, and she heard some splashing on his side of the boulder. "I thought it would save some time if we bathed simultaneously. We don't have too long to claim that shard… a week goes by quickly."_

There was silence between them again, broken only by the splashes of water as they bathed. After a moment, Miroku spoke again. "This is how I first met you, you know."

Kagome's eyes widened, but she figured he must have been joking, so she laughed. "No, we met when you tried to steal me, the shards, and my bike all in one go," she corrected. She remembered that day quite vividly. It had been a very interesting way to meet someone, being kidnapped. Funny that they should be such good friends after such a unique mode of introduction.

Miroku chuckled, recalling the memory as well. "No, that's when _you met _me_, Kagome-sama. As I recall it, you were bathing in a hot spring the night before. I was bathing as well, and I heard you speaking on the other side of the boulder. I got a very nice view of your … er … collar-bone, Kagome-sama."_

She froze. How was she supposed to react to that? She couldn't hit him, and couldn't see him, so the only optional reaction left was to be flustered. Incredibly flustered. Was he for real? "Collar bone, my ass," she muttered finally, a dark blush on her cheeks. 

She was startled once more when he said, "Yes… that was very nice as well…"

"You hentai!" She screeched, dunking herself under the water as though he had been peeping on her. "When I get my hands on you…" she was about to threaten his life when she was interrupted by a hearty laugh on his side. Crimson for the second – or third? – time in that conversation, she harrumphed and headed towards the edge of the water. 

They made camp after another few hours of effete walking and stumbling through the dark, guided only by the light of Kagome's flashlight. A small fire was built, and they each lay down on opposite sides of it, tired and prepared for a night's rest. As Miroku was drifting off to sleep that night, he heard Kagome's soft voice. "Miroku-sama? Why haven't you tried using a Shikon shard to help deal with… you know your…?"

He looked at her face for a moment before his eyes drifted to the fire that they had set up – yet another barrier. "The chances are too high that there might be an adverse effect. What if it strengthens the power of the kazaana, instead of closing it? What if it gets sucked in?" He looked back over at her and saw her intense gaze fixed on his eyes. He blinked and averted his own. "Go to sleep, Kagome-sama…"

"It's cold," she complained, but closed her eyes and curled up in a fetal position under the thin material of her blanket.

When they awoke the following morning, the air between them was still a little tense. Kagome wanted to apologize for intruding so brazenly, but she couldn't bring herself to speak. After a long, unbearably silent breakfast, Miroku looked at her with his large, clear violet eyes and smiled gently. "You don't need to apologize, Kagome-sama. It was a valid quesion. I don't mind; I'm not mad." When he saw the relief that filled her expression, his smile grew and he clapped his hands together in thanks for the meal. 

"If I may ask a question of my own, Kagome-sama?" She nodded, and he drew in a breath. This was likely to be a question that she wouldn't want to answer, but he wanted to know. "Why do you continue to remain by Inuyasha's side? I mean… knowing about Kikyo…"

Her expression grew pained and she looked away. "It's not… I'm not stupid. I know Inuyasha is in love with her, and that as long as Kikyo is still wandering, he'll never be able to love me. Even then, after, he would only see me as a part of her… as an extension of whom she was. Its not that I mind being a part of her, but I don't want to be loved for that reason only, you know? I just… I want to stay by his side… and let him go, slowly…"

"Why go through that pain, Kagome-sama? You're _always by his side. Wouldn't it be easier to let go if there was some time, some distance?"_

Her eyes looked into his and they locked together. In that moment, he was lost in the blue-gray mists of her soulful, beautiful eyes. And he didn't realize until they looked away from his that he had asked the question that he had been pondering in his mind. 

They weren't, however, looking away entirely for the reasons he though. "There… there it is again. The shard." She pointed and looked determinedly back up at him. "I feel it. The shard is that way."

AN _Howdy do!_ Iron Lotus here, once more. This is a five part story – four chapters and an epilogue. I wrote it over Christmas break, for the most part, and hand-wrote all of the chapters before I even THOUGHT of typing them up. I have yet to type up the rest; a small task in its own right – a few hours at most – and I will post one new chapter a week until the story ends.

So, so. What did you all think? I had sort of wanted to do this idea for a while… something like it at least. I had written it already, in my head… but it was far longer and more complex, plot-wise, so I trimmed and cut until I had a manageable story outlined and ready to write. I didn't want to make this one an on-going project since I already have several that have not even NEARED completion… alas.

Once this one is done being typed and posted, though, it will be the first non-one-shot fic I have ever completed!! *GASP*!! I was always too distracted to finish any of my other ongoing projects…. Blargh. 

Inertia will be updated soooon!! Look for it in two days or so. ALSO, please read the one-shot that I have written, "Every Moment"!! It may continue for a few more chapters to explain some points…. But its good. Trust me. Hehehe…. 

Anyway. Thank you!! Look forward to Inertia, and the next chapter of _Perfect Barrier_, coming next week!!!


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